Monster
by The Carpet Shampoo
Summary: A brief, almost forgotten meeting in the woods between two identical souls. A few years pass, and Naruto has forgotten the time Gaara met him in the woods. Until Gaara showed up again one night...
1. Prologue

"Monster"

by the Carpet Shampoo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; I'm not making any money off this fanfic.

All events in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to any event real or made up is purely coincidental. 

Author's Commentary: I need a break from "The Courting of Uzumaki Naruto". Once I finish up this in about 4 or 5 chapters, I'll be able to right The Courting again and it will be much better than before, I promise. No, I haven't forgotten about it. Naruto x Gaara here by the way.

Prologue: Battle of Angels…

            I planned on killing Uzumaki that night. I had told him once that I would be back to kill him; it was a promise unfulfilled. 

            His pride in himself, that almost arrogance he holds for his own power made him come alone that night. 

            Dark nights draw me in some strange way. Most people, I have been told, are afraid of being alone in the dark, but perhaps because I know I am protected, I never have been. Its amazing feeling, one of complete peace with one's self and nature, shadows hiding everything, making you feel alone and insignificant under a blanket of stars, the only person left alive in the universal spiral of death and life.

            Yes, it was one of those nights. The stars glittered brightly, annoyingly brightly if you ask me, and the moon hung low, glowing a soft almost orange glow. 

            I wanted to kill Uzumaki, his life force, his _chi_ was so strong, it absolutely radiated off him like an aura of an angel. If I am the Angel of Death, the surely, Naruto, my rival, is the Angel of Life. Life and Death cannot coincide, eventually, Death always takes what Life has given.

            And so I shall take Uzumaki. His pride and his life shall be forever stained on my hands, just like so many others.

            Or at least, that was how I planned it would be. Plans do tend to go astray. I met Uzumaki that night, and he was alone, just as I had known he would be. Reading your opponents, that is the key to being great in the world of the _shinobi_. 

            I remember clearly, his face set in the moonlight. Naruto's face was not meant to be viewed by the light of the moon; rather it should be viewed in the full view of the overhead sun, I believe, a sun that glows brightly behind him. The moon brings out the half of him that no one, only I, will understand. In the moonlight, Naruto appears in the form of himself only I will appreciate. 

            His face seems to lose its color, glistening like pale marble statues of the gods of hatred. His eyes seem to glow from within, as if reflecting like, catlike. His fists stood clenched and I could almost see the little fingernails of his, chewed and bitten they were biting into the soft inner flesh of his hands.

            "Gaara…what are you doing here?" his voice came out as a low growl, I was surprised to see it had changed since I had last encountered him. Little Naruto was growing up and becoming a man. 

            "We're alike, you and I," It was a sudden observation and I felt the need to share it with Uzumaki. He looked surprised and I watched his guard drop instantly. I could kill him now before he could even blink at me in that surprised way. I chose not to. 

            "You and I," I continued, "Look at us Naruto. Here we are in the dead of night, both of us feared and hated by the people we have always known and respected.. Mothers will always scoot their children away from us, girls will always shuffle away when we approach. Boys and men will refuse to meet our eyes, for fear of glimpsing into our souls, the souls of monsters. You must understand Naruto, no one will ever understand me but you. And so, no one will ever understand you, except for me."

            "What…what do you mean?" Naruto's eyes, still the weird reflected blue widened with confusion as he stared at me. I was a predator of the night, and I moved in on my prey.

            I caught Naruto's lips with my own, surprising even myself for a moment. His lips felt soft; I had never kissed a person before and I didn't realize lips could be that soft. I pulled away, leaving him with only a brief kiss, but those seconds of eternity would forever be burned into his memory.

            "Remember Naruto…I'm the only one who will ever understand you and will be able to love you. Both of you…"

            And so that is how I left Uzumaki Naruto for two years.

Author's Commentary: Yeah, it's a little strange, a little short, but this is just the intro. Real plot can be expected next chapter.


	2. Chapter 1

"Monster"

by the Carpet Shampoo

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…but if I was a ninja, I could _steal_ Naruto…hm…

Author's Commentary: Wow. This is kinda just a weird little idea I had, but people actually liked it. Not that I'm complaining or anything. I didn't realize their were so many Gaara/Naruto fans out there. Personally, I like Shikamaru/Naruto and Sasuke/Naruto, but when I was writing my other fic, The Courting of Uzumaki Naruto, I wrote a part with Gaara and Naruto as the couple, and I felt I had to do something more serious with those two (the other one's kind of a goofy fic if you haven't read). Anyway. I'm rambling here. To the person who asked, your name slips my mind, no I don't know of any other good Naruto x Gaara fics. Does anyone? And to the person who said they'd post the link to this story on Gaara x Naruto sites…*blink* they have Gaara x Naruto sites? I never see them…If you do, could you try and send me a link or something of where? I don't mind you putting up links or anything, I just want to know.

Chapter 1: And so I Return to Where I first began…

            "Come on Shikamaru, you're the only one that can help me pass my chuunin exam…"

            "Naruto…Its too troublesome…Ask Iruka, he's a chuunin. Or Kakashi, he aced his chuunin exams years ago. Or Sasuke. Or Gai. Or anyone who's a chuunin or a jounin. Except me. I'm sure they'd all be happy to give you some advice on passing your chuunin exam." 

            "They're all busy. You're the only lazy bum who never does anything." Naruto gave his friend a lazy kick in the side. Shikamaru looked  up at his friend from his resting spot on the ground, his expression clearly annoyed, but he didn't say anything.

            "I'll play Go with you…" Naruto bribed.

            "You don't know how." 

            "I'll play chess with you…"

            "You don't know how to do that either." 

            "You could teach me!"

            "Too troublesome…"

            Naruto sighed and sat down next to Shikamaru, poking his lazy friend sharply, but not enough to actually hurt him. 

            "Shi-ka-ma-ru…" Naruto whined, dragging out each syllable of the boys name, "Man, tying your own shoes is too troublesome for you…"

            "My shoes don't have ties."

            "My point exactly! Now, help me train for my chuunin exams!" 

            "…No." 

            'Aw, fine, be that way…lazy bum…" Naruto stood up, and sticking his tongue out at Shikamaru, shuffled off, sulking the whole way.

            _Man…hard to believe a kid like that is already 16…So immature…so troublesome…_Shikamaru thought to himself before stretching out and going back to staring mindlessly at the clouds.

            Naruto sulked all the way into the woods, his current favorite training spot. There was a small clearing in the woods, one that was small enough that most of the area was still mildly shaded by the trees, but big enough for Naruto to train in nevertheless. Boring as it was, since Shikamaru had chose not to come along, Naruto made a clone of himself, and began sparring against it.

            "How boring…" Naruto grumbled, and then swung a wild hit at his clone, "I already know all my own moves!" He griped as the clone vanished under his fist. Naruto practiced a few _jutsus_, just to see if they worked, but he could never tell if he was manipulating his _chakra_ right or not. He needed Kakashi or another upper level ninja around to do that for him. 

            "This totally and completely sucks!" Naruto flopped down on the ground, moping by himself.

            "What sucks?" 

            Naruto leapt up, his well-trained _shinobi_ instincts kicking in as he landed in a defensive position, a steel _kunai_ ready in his hands. Naruto had begun his career as a ninja, as one of the weaker, if not the weakest passing genin. But now, he had reached a point where very few of his fellow comrades could sneak up on him. Naruto assumed it had been Sasuke sneaking up on him like that, his number one rival had a way of doing just that. 

            The last person he had expected to see was Gaara of the Sand, standing before him with a seemingly confused expression etched into his features.

            "Gaara…?" Naruto's jaw dropped slightly. He hadn't seen the sand ninja since…

"You must understand Naruto, no one will ever understand me but you. And so, no one will ever understand you, except for me." 

Naruto felt his ears turn hot as he knew a blush was spreading across his face in remembrance of what happened between him and Gaara those years ago. Why had Gaara so suddenly shown up again? Naruto looked up at the other ninja, he'd gotten taller while Naruto had remained relatively short. He'd allowed his red hair to grow out slightly, it now fell down by his strange darkened eyes, and seemed to spike out in a random messy order. Those odd, dark-lined pale blue eyes seemed softer; not nearly as harsh or cynical as they had been when Naruto had last seen Gaara.      

"Hello again, Naruto…"

"…And so, no one will ever understand you, except for me."

*~*~*~*~*

"Stupid conscience…when did I get you anyway?" Shikamaru grumbled, sitting up at last. Maybe it was just with Naruto…Shikamaru had often wondered and analyzed if his own behavior around the blond haired boy qualified as something that was more than friendship. As of now, his results were inconclusive and too troublesome to study further. 

Something about the look on Naruto's face as the boy sulked away had triggered something deep within the lazy ninja, and even as he lay back down, he found he could not lose his head in the clouds as he usually did. He kept thinking about Naruto, and how Naruto had offered all this stuff, just to be able to train with Shikamaru.

"Aw, damn! I should of said yes to him…" Shikamaru struggled to his feet and rubbed one of his eyes sleepily. He was really not in the mood to train, but he supposed the least he could do was give Naruto some pointers on strategy. How much effort would that be, really? 

Shikamaru knew his friend Naruto was a hell of a fighter. But that was it. _Chuunins, _Shikamaru learned, were supposed to be able to be leaders. They needed to learn to plan and strategize. 

"Which is probably the only reason someone like me became one anyway…" 

Naruto might never lose a battle of hand-to-hand combat in his life. Since the days of the two boys sleeping together in Iruka's class, Shikamaru had watched as Naruto's strength grew by leaps and bounds, quickly catching up to Uchiha Sasuke in terms of fighting ability. But if Naruto were ever to be locked in a battle of wits, he would be out faster than he could say '_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'._

And as his friend, didn't Shikamaru have the obligation to help him out?

"Stupid, stupid conscience…" Shikamaru muttered, trudging off in the direction he had seen Naruto go.

*~*~*~*~*

"Strange, isn't it Naruto? Perhaps you don't remember, but this is the very spot we met last time, isn't it?" Naruto nodded dumbly, for some reason his voice felt all choked up and he couldn't seem to remember how to talk. 

Gaara walked around Naruto in a circle, walking around him like a vulture that was eyeing its latest prey. Naruto stood still, trying to focus on using his senses to follow Gaara's movements rather than his eyes. Gaara was even harder to trace then Sasuke, a fact Naruto soon realized as he felt the other boy's arms slink around his waist from behind. 

Naruto looked down at the pale arms that had encircled him and said nothing. He felt oddly unafraid; perhaps because he'd beaten Gaara in the past; or perhaps because he knew that Gaara wouldn't hurt him. 

Naruto noticed something then, that he had never noticed before. Gaara had the most intoxicating scent he had ever smelled before on another person. Naruto had always had a bit of a sensitive nose, so the way people smelled was pretty obvious to him. Sasuke had a scent that was similar the breathing in the winter air for the first time, Sakura smelled like sweet flowers, but also citrusy, a scent that was both sweet and sour, just like her. But Gaara – Gaara smelled like an Arabian desert; like exotic spices of the east, the kind Naruto had never smelled before. It was the kind of smell that brought back memories of stories Naruto hadn't heard since he was a child, stories about carpets that could fly, and small purple men who lived in bottles that could grant any wish you could dream up. 

*~*~*~*

"I should not be seeing this, I should not be seeing this…" Shikamaru ducked down in the bushes, his face uncharacteristically red. Naruto…and Gaara!? Gaara of the Desert, who wasn't even allowed in their village was right here, carrying on a love affair with Naruto? His Naruto? Shikamaru shook his head. Not his Naruto. Naruto his friend…Yes, that was right, Naruto his friend. 

_I finally stop being lazy and attempt to do stuff and this is what I see? Someone hates me…_Shikamaru looked back at the two, Gaara was still holding Naruto close. _See, now, this is why I don't ever do stuff. This is all much too troublesome. I don't want to deal with this…Not at all. _

Suddenly, Gaara released Naruto, pushing the blond away seemingly lightly, but still hard enough for Naruto to stumble. He looked straight over at where Shikamaru thought he was well hid.

"We're being watched." Gaara strolled over to where Shikamaru was, slowly, as if to torture the poor _chuunin_ in hiding. Shikamaru shook his head and jumped up. He wasn't about to be dragged out of the bushes like some lost puppy. 

"Shikamaru…" Naruto looked over at his friend blankly, "Its not…well…um…Gaara…." Naruto bit his tongue and stopped talking. It seemed that his words were still not working properly.

Shikamaru shook his head and turned away. "Don't worry…" he mumbled, "I ain't gonna tell anyone, but Naruto, you can do better than him…" Shikamaru spat the last word, as if even referring to Gaara was a terrible curse word. 

"Like who? You?" Gaara's voice was low and drugged with a mocking tone, "Could you ever understand him the way I do? His pain, his loneliness'? You probably never even knew he was unhappy…"

"I'm not discussing this," Shikamaru said. "I'm leaving." And with that, Shikamaru was gone, heading back towards the village with all the speed he had, leaving Naruto and Gaara behind. 

Gaara turned back to Naruto and saw the confused, almost frightened look on his face. 

"Now…where were we…?" the redheaded ninja mused to himself, before leaning into Naruto and capturing his lips in a gentle, but commanding kiss. 

"…no one will ever understand you, except for me."

Author's Commentary: Ok, here's the real plot getting started. It always seemed to me that Shikamaru had just a littlest bit of unrequited love going on for Naruto. I mean, Shikamaru did show up when Naruto was in the hospital. With a gift for him too! Sure Shikamaru said the gift had been for Chouji…But think of this. Look it how smart Shikamaru is. If he knew Chouji had been hospitalized for eating too much, wouldn't he also realize that a gift of food would be a bad gift for Chouji at the time? But still! He brought one! And gave it to Naruto. Hm…sounds like someone has a crush, eh Shikamaru? Anyway, that's just my reasoning for the Shika x Naruto action here. Don't worry, I'm still going to make it Gaara x Naruto in the end. 


	3. Chapter 2

"Monster"

by the Carpet Shampoo

Disclaimer: Not Japanese, not a guy, obviously not owning Naruto

Author's Commentary: A little later than I thought on this chapter, only because I picked up writing "The Courting of Uzumaki Naruto" again. As for good Gaara x Naruto fics, I recommend "Chi" by Shirohane. Check it out…after you read and review my story of course. ^^

            Chapter 2: My Precious Little Secret

            "C-Checkmate!" 

            "Good game…"

            "Good game?! Shikamaru, I just beat you! How can you say 'good game' after that?!" 

            "Winning isn't everything Chouji…"

            "Shikamaru, are you sick? I never beat you, even when you try and let me win!" Shikamaru sighed and stood up, pushing himself back from the chessboard.

            "You know what Chouji? I think I may be coming down with something…" Chouji looked up at his friend, his eyes laced with concern for the dark-haired ninja.

            "You should go lie down Shikamaru…you really don't look well. Have you been eating?"

            "Yeah, I know. I got a lot on my mind…I think I'll go take a rest or something. Sorry about the game Chouji…I'll see you around, ok?"

            "See you Shikamaru…"

            The lazy ninja walked the streets of Konoha, his sandaled feet pattering across the dusty road. His hands had been clumsily jammed in his pockets and he walked hunched over like, the setting sun casting out his shadow far ahead of him.

            _Its not my problem, its Naruto's. So why should I even bother dealing with this? I shouldn't get involved; I have no right to get involved._

            But despite this, Shikamaru found himself outside of Naruto's apartment. He sighed and knocked on the door. From inside he heard a crash, some muffled swearwords, then finally, the sound of someone messing with a lock from the inside.

            "Just a sec…oh hey, Shikamaru! Come on in…" Naruto looked around nervously, as if he was almost expecting to see someone else walking in. Shikamaru strolled in casually, flopping down in a chair, his eyes looking around nervously. Naruto grabbed another chair and spun it around, sitting on the chair backwards; his legs swung over either side, straddling the chair.

            "Naruto, I know this isn't my business, but what are you doing with Gaara of the Sand? Do you even like him?" Naruto shifted uneasily in his chair, exactly like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

            "I guess so…he just sort of came to me one night and he…well…um…kissed me…and then he left for a while, and then he came back to see me…" Naruto mumbled slightly, his face growing pinker with each passing syllable.

            Shikamaru sighed…Naruto was such a troublesome friend. "You do realize this will hurt your chances at being _hokage_, don't you? Last time I checked, Gaara of the Sand was a crazy guy who killed people for the fun of it. Its going to be frowned upon if you're caught with him…" 

            "I know Shikamaru but…its just…I don't know." 

            "Holy shit Naruto…you're in love with him, aren't you?" The dark-haired ninjas eyes grew wide for a moment, before his shook his head, shaking away the look, and began to laugh.

            "You're in love with a psycho killer! Tell me Naruto, what exactly is so great about him?"

            "Shut up Shikamaru! You don't know anything about him or me! Gaara and I…we understand each other! He's the only one who will ever understand me. Don't talk to me like you know me Shikamaru! You don't know anything." Naruto stood, pushing down his chair in the process. Shikamaru watched as it clattered to the ground, his expression blank.

            "Its because of the demon fox, right? It's inside you and you don't think anyone except Gaara, who holds the spirit of the _tanuki_ can understand the pain and loneliness associated with being shunned because of a demon." Naruto's face paled as he sank down to the floor, his vibrant blue eyes wide with surprise.

            "How did you…"

            "Don't look so surprised Naruto. I figured it out during the chuunin exams. I've read about the demon fox that destroyed our village; everyone knows the legend, of how it was sealed up in a baby. But the name of the baby was never mentioned to us. I figured the _hokage_ didn't want anyone to shun the baby, who ever it was. But everyone always shunned you Naruto. I was amazed it took me so long to figure it out myself. Then you said some weird stuff during the chuunin exam when Gaara mentioned a monster inside of him. It just sort of…clicked."

            Naruto thought this over a minute. Of course Shikamaru had figured it out. Shikamaru always figured everything out. He was dead-on in everything he did and analyzed.

            "But you…"

            "No, I never cared. Why bother? We were already becoming friends at the time, it was too troublesome to shun you then." Naruto blinked for a minute, then a small semblance of a grin began to creep across his face. Typical Shikamaru. 

            "Naruto…what I'm trying to say is, I understand why you think Gaara is the only one for you. I know you've grown up alone, and it's easy to be drawn to someone similar to you. It is possible Naruto, to be alone, even if you're with someone. Please think it over." '

            "Thanks Shikamaru…But I think I've made my decision." 

            "You're going to stay with Gaara then?" 

            "Understand each other is an important part of a relationship. When Gaara or I is in pain, the other will understand why and what to do. You never knew what it was like to be lonely Shikamaru, you've always had Chouji as your friend and your parents there. I never had any friends, and I never had any parents. Its different Shikamaru, and even if I were to start dating…say Sakura-chan, she'd never understand me fully. Even if I told her about the demon fox and the way the people shunned me, she'd never understand.  She'd never know what it was like being scared and alone as a child, or walking down the street by yourself and everyone sneering at you." 

            "Just because someone doesn't understand you, doesn't mean they won't know how to deal with you."

            "I know Shikamaru…but please trust me when I say that this way…with Gaara…its easier for me. I've been searching my whole life for that place of acceptance, that one special place where I can finally be appreciated just for being me. Its not that I've fallen in love with Gaara, its that he's accepted me for being me." 

            "I see…" Shikamaru cleared his throat and stood up. "That's all I wanted to say Naruto. I came here to find out something and I think I found it." Naruto stood up from his spot on the floor and took a step towards Shikamaru, walking towards the door to get it for his guest.

            "What did you find out Shikamaru?" The dark-eyed ninja looked for a moment at Naruto, studying that face that was the epitome of innocence. Then, quite suddenly, Shikamaru leaned forward and brushed his lips against Naruto's, a short and chaste kiss, one so swift, it would seem an accident.

            "Just remember Naruto…I accepted you too, when I found out you were the demon fox. If you need me, if Gaara hurts you in anyway, I'm going to be here, as your friend." 

            Naruto nodded dumbly. Shikamaru's kiss felt strange…when Gaara had kissed him, his whole body had tingled, but this was like an empty kiss, as innocent as if Naruto had kissed an animal. Perhaps Shikamaru was right…after all, he was very rarely wrong. Perhaps Naruto was falling in love with Gaara after all.

Author's Commentary: Ok, this chapter is a bit on the short side, because it's the transition chapter. Its between the opening and the ending, and is just tying up a few loose ends. Yes this is a very short story, there's one or two chapters left at most.  Just for a moment, I'd like to address you guys a little more seriously.

For one, I never said this was Naruto x Gaara fluff. I did not guarantee this story's ending would be happy. I'm trying to keep this real. The truth is, people are attracted to people if both the people are lonely. Shikamaru has been added to the story as the voice of reason. Naruto is obviously the protagonist and Gaara, in my opinion, is the antagonist. The antagonist, I remind you, is not always the bad guy of the story. He is merely the person that is stopping the protagonist from reaching his goal. Do not cast off Gaara, nor Shikamaru as the "bad guys" of this story, neither of them was meant to be so. This is one of the more mature pieces I've written, and I would definitely appreciate it being treated as so; please don't write reviews about how evil Shikamaru is, or how dumb Naruto is being. I have faith in you guy's maturity. ^^ 


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